The piercing of skin for purposes of administering medications and taking blood samples is well known in medical practice. Insertion of a needle into the skin is known to be accompanied by a localized sensation of pain. Accordingly, it would be an advantage to desensitize skin into which a needle is being introduced.
Various devices and methods are known in the prior art for local desensitization of skin. Among prior art publications which describe localized desensitization of skin are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,746,264; 2,982,112; 3,327,713; 3,826,264; 4,614,191 and 4,646,735.
In medical practice there is a known risk of accidental puncture by used hypodermic needles. Such accidents are particularly problematic with the spread of various infectious diseases, such as AIDS and Hepatitis B, which may be transmitted by infected blood.